


Bird could die from stress (intervention is necessary)

by naps_and_coffee



Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace is whipped, M/M, Marco is overly concerned about family, Misunderstood Thatch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:42:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22197268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naps_and_coffee/pseuds/naps_and_coffee
Summary: Ace's displeased look towards the first division commander gives off wrong impression (and lil trouble brews).(If only those girls wouldn't cling on Marco like vultures they are, ugh)
Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace
Comments: 3
Kudos: 110





	1. Page six material

**Author's Note:**

> I had hard time making the deserving title. In the end... It goes like this.  
> .  
> I was inspired by fanart I found on pixiv (link will be added on A/N later). Ace was sulking because he was either jealous that the girls are flanking Marco or he was afraid Marco would be popular with girls (story was written in Japanese I can’t read, so I only made assumption).  
> .  
> Anyway, thank you for reading ^^ Hope you have good time!

He is the vice-cap of Whitebeard Pirate for god sake.  
Good manner and charisma doesn’t help either.  
That, added with his disinterested air makes him much more interesting (can he say ‘alluring’?) for girls in the bar (and bar-brothel).

Ace could only huff while looking at the man’s direction with a displeased look. He had forgotten about girls that had flanked him out since the moment he set his foot on this bar (following his brothers), and took a large gulp on his bottle.

“So, what makes you so upset, Ace?” One of the girl asked. She is very beautiful if you ask him, though her beauty couldn’t really distract him from the man he feels unpleased with (because he had girls crowding him. Ace feels very very pleasant with Marco in general and in particular).

Ace looks at the girl with questioning look. “You know me?”

The girl smiles. “Of course I do. Who doesn’t?”

Okay, Ace knew that they are somewhat famous: being on the crew of Strongest Man in The WorldTM and one of Yonko. But he only expects that from marine! Not from civilian. Well, tho it makes sense that civilians who make living from the port’s activity should know the latest update about pirate and all their famed notorious crews.

“And that man?” he asked, pointing at the direction he had sent his most glowered eyes not long moments ago.

“First Division Commander, Marco the Phoenix, right?”

Ah well…

Another big gulp is due.

“What happened, Ace? Does something happened between you two?” The girl asked sweetly, to which Ace responds with a spray of his drink (which is perfectly unintended).

“What… do you mean something happened? Why would you ask me that?” Ace asked nervously.

The girl who is in to fish juicy gossips (fight and quarel in the crews probably, maybe a disagreement between commanders) looks at Ace with questioning look.

“Well… you’ve glared to the man since you took your seat here. I could only make an assumption.” She smiles.

A juicy story from inside Whitebeard’s crew and she may get a deal with some reporters.

“Tell me Ace, what is it between you two?”

This time Ace falls flat from his seat.

(The girl thought that she had landed a jackpot)

(Ace might have thought it was different kind of story, though)

(Still, the story was sold and soon found it’s way to be printed on newspaper)


	2. Hapless dreamer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace is hapless dreamer. But a boy can dream, right?

_What the hell? A gossip coloumn in the newspaper about Whitebeard Pirate?_

Marco raises his brows and stares at the article with disbelieving eyes. What the hell did they do to be rewarded with such a provocative and undeserving article?

He skims the text.

_‘...clearly there had been disagreements between commanders of Whitebeard Pirates. As stated by second division commander, Portgas D. Ace himself, the first division commander, Marco the Phoenix often used his rank to grant him favours from his fellow commanders in lower rank…’_

Marco’s half-lid eyes squints.  
.

.

“So glad to be up in high seas again.”

Ace groans with satisfaction as his joints crack. Stretching here and there: his muscle had gotten pretty stiff from all the tense he got whenever they land on an island (with and without marine base).

“Well, if I don’t know better then I will say that being inland stressed you out.” Thatch looks at him with questioning eyes. “What happened?”

Ace shrugs. “Can’t sleep. That’s all.”

That answer gets a jaw drop reaction from Thatch.

“Can’t sleep?! You?!”

“I just did. Why?”

Thatch is still looking at him with a look of gaping fish.

Ace cracks. “Not even from narcolepsy?”

“I was just high tension all the time. Now gimme food or I’ll steal from the kitchen. You know your traps never worked for me.”

Thatch frowns, but complies anyway.  
.

.

One thing that Ace knew when they’re in the open sea. Marco won’t sleep around. Not that he knows for sure if the vice cap did that (in the ship? He’ll heard of it if he did, altogether with the sound of his shattering hearts TT). He just assumes so since that’s the most logical thing for pirate to do. Being confined in a place that reeks testosterone all the time could make men go frustrated, hence brothel as the first destination most crews would choose whenever the ship reaches an island.

Why would he care about what his vice cap does in his free time?

Well, he just does.

More than to his other brothers.

That, he realized. As he looked at his brothers far below, his eyes consciously automatically seek for a certain blond man in a purple jacket. A bit disappointment grows when he couldn’t find Marco.  
Maybe he is working the papers off his room again.

But soon it’ll be dinner time and if he doesn’t go to mess hall then Ace won’t be able to see him at all. Unless the man have his watch turn, of which he knows for sure he doesn’t (it’s third division’s turn to watch Moby tonight, so that’s not possible too.)

He sighs.

Until he notices something happened below. Not in the deck, but rather on the side of Moby? Something blue and fast just launched itself to the ocean below, before a beautiful maneuver to the sky above.

Ace watches with fascination.

As the setting sun in horizon makes everything looks red and fiery, this cool blue flame contrasts everything that comes to him. The phoenix continues to fly up, defying the concept of gravitation as if it never exists.  
For a moment, Ace feels like the mythical bird’s eyes found his, before continuing his flight further up.

(There were awed spectators below, mostly from pops’ newest recruits)

(Ace ignores all of those in favour of being dazed and mesmerized)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I don’t have either any concept nor idea to where this plot would lead. I only wrote like the first two chapters mindlessly. And then be… we’ll see, where it builds. It doesn’t. Tbh I am bad with long fic, hence I will settle with shorter one.


	3. Bird can die from stress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco is (overly) concerned.

"Okay, what was that about?”

“What’s what about… what?”

Izo sighs. Marco, the smart first division commander could be idiot sometimes. That happened when he had too many paper works to do. Which softens the 16th division commander’s beautiful (Izo insists) heart immediately.

“What’s with being mesmerizing in open air, are you trying to attract suitor?”

Marco sprays his drink. Thanks god it’s not on his papers. Izo, noticing that he didn’t appear in the mess hall at all and had begrudgingly (because he cares) delivered Marco’s dinner to his room, finding that the man indeed had been working his ass off harder than new recruits. 

“How do you know that I am not scouting for route?”  
Izo sighs.

_Overworked commander indeed._

“Because you had the route mapped out for us like yesterday morning, when we left the port.”

“Ah, that I did.”

“Yes, you did.”

Marco munches his dinner wordlessly for a while. He hums in appreciation. “This is good.”

“Of course it is good. Thatch specially prepared it for you.”

“It’s not on dinner menu?”

“No, I insist.”

“I see.” Marco nods.

His bored expression never changes and it could deceive anybody but Izo had been knowing Marco for how many years? Thirty years! He would know a subtle change on that man’s expression anytime.

“Something’s bothering you?”

Marco shrugs. “Nah, not really.”

Izo tck-s. “Think I’ll bite that and leave? I know you for how many years already?” 

“Ah, you’re gonna pull that card again.” Marco sighs.

“Because I care.”

Marco looks at Izo, kinda surprised at the words.

“What? You think I never care for you? After all these years?” Izo jabs his long fingers on Marco’s uncovered chest, making the man flinchs in pain.

“I don’t mean it like that. I am just…”

“What?”

“Did you ever grant me favour you didn’t want to do but did either way because I pulled rank on you?”

“The fuck, Marco?”

Marco swats the air, trying to act nonchalant about it. “Don’t mind it.”  
.

.

Haruta plops on Atmos’ body. “I miss Marco.”

“You mean you miss pranking Marco.”

Haruta grins.

“Well, he locked himself on his room all day. The only way in and out is his room’s window.”

“He is no fun.”

“He is responsible.”

“Well, being responsible is no fun.”

Vista pats Haruta’s head affectionously.

“Maybe we should do something with his room when he left for his daily flight.”

“Now he does that? Daily flight? Like a bird?”

Blemenco shrugs. “I don’t know, he does that a lot lately. And he IS a bird.”

Haruta looks at his brothers, smile is still very visibly not dangerous (yet). “My offer still stands, guys.”

Vista, Blemenco, and Atmos look at the grinning boy and then to each other. Recognizing a little bit mischief on each other’s face.

“Okay, who can pick the lock?”

Haruta grins victoriously. “I can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cut this chapter into two parts because... I can? I mean, it'll look more balanced that way length wise. Not that this fic is particularly long. I don't do long fic.  
> .  
> Anyway, the next chapter is the last one! Thank you for reading ^^


	4. Intervention is necessary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Ace would never..._  
>  Marco lets out soft laugh.

Jozu only watches with a curious eyes when a small crowd gathered in front of Marco’s room. Right after someone had exclamated in amazement (yes, Marco still draws that kinda reaction everytime he appears in his phoenix form), Haruta, Blemenco, Vista, and Atmos hurriedly dashed to the first division commander door. And while Haruta’s doing his lock picking, the rest is only watching.

“What are you doing?” he asked again.

“Picking Marco’s lock.”

“That, I can see. But why?”

Vista suavely answers. “Marco lost his room’s key. That’s why he keeps using his window to fly in and out. We are helping him.”

“I see.”

Jozu nods and decides that he is not interested enough with this lost key case. He walks away.  
Just a second after, a sound of click resounds softly in the corridor.

“Yosh! Now, we’re in!”

“Good job Haruta.”

“Tehee.”  
.

.

Firstly, they lock the window.

Secondly, they change the sheet and make sure Marco gets the fluffier one.

Thirdly, they clean the room and make it as orderly as they can while adding lots of note so that Marco could find what is where and how. All while Vista fills the room with fresh flower scent as the finishing touch.

What a nice prank.

Why are they so nice though?

The reason is that they are not a bored Thatch (okay, sorry Thatch. Doesn’t mean to be mean ^^;). While Haruta is very mischievous, he gets that Marco needs good rest, good hot meals, and good cares because anyone with eye can see that the man had overworked himself (and he wouldn’t let anybody taking care of him, that dimwich bird!).

“What is this? Why is this newspaper thrown behind the desk?” Haruta picked said newspaper and showed the others.

“Maybe it fell from the desk. Just fold it and put it on the shelves.” Atmos said.

“Okaaay!”

They wait until Marco comea back to his window, still in his phoenix form, and then make sure that he could see them. They four smile with fake innocence and wave. Marco changes his form, until his wings and talons are the only part of his phoenix that remains in display (menacingly!).

He looks pissed.

“What are you doing in my room? Open the window!”  
They pretend to not hear him.

“I swear to god!” Marco cursed. He maneuver himself to the deck and they dash away from the room in glee (even Vista, he is glee-ing suavely).  
.

.

“Marco my dude! Just the person I need to see!” Thatch waving to him with over enthusiastic manner. Marco kicked him flat face first with his talon.

“What the hell, Thatch!” 

“What did I do?!”  
.

.

Marco found Haruta in the deck, hiding inside one of the empty barrel. The boy seems to forget that he could see him easily from above. Marco sweatdrops.

“Marco!”

Suddenly someone behind him launchs a (hugging?) attack. Well, off course Haruta is the bait. And his sleep deprived (regenerates or not he needs sleeping once in a while) muddled brain had been blind to that. And before he could realize what is happening, another person pins (hugs?) him to the ground.

“We miss you, Marco!”

Soon there is this piling human on the top of each other. Someone who asks, ‘what is this?’ being answered with shrug and ‘lies on top of Commander Marco, I guess.’ and joins in. Eventually, they form a small mountain in the deck.

“Gurararara… you seem to have fun, my sons.”

“Pops! Make them leave… some of us can’t breathe down here.” Marco breathes heavily.

“Gurararara… what if I join you? I want to have fun too.”

“Pops!!!”  
.

.

Later, after some convincing that some of them are indeed dying (metaphorically, of course), the mountain of humans cascades. And after what feels like decades, Marco could feel his body again. He watches the sky above and feels the breeze blowing on his face. He had lost his conviction to hunt for the three person most unlikely to do this prank to him and Haruta (Haruta, together with Thatch and Ace are the likeliest to come up with plot like this).

_Ah, Ace._

The name kinda reminds him to something.

“Hey, sorry that I joined in too. I don’t know what’s happening but what the hell. It looks fun piling next to each other like that.” Ace smiles. He offers his hand to Marco, to which Marco ignores for an eyeshutter.

_Ace is so sweet to him. He wouldn’t…_

Marco snorts.

 _Right_.

_Of course he wouldn’t._

_Also, since when did he pays attention to such gossip?_

_He knew that Marines and newspapers alike only find a way to make the poor boy’s life difficult._

_For being born as the man’s son._

Marco’s heart clenches at that.

_Stupid Marco… he had been trusting stupid newspaper more than his own family._

_Poor sweet Ace._

Marco lets out a small laugh, as relief makes his heart a way lot lighter than he had felt days before.

“So you want to nap here? Fine then.” Ace voice’s sounds so peaceful.

_So warm._

Though, if he doesn’t know better he would say that he noticed a note of adoration in that voice.

“I would make sure no one tries that again when you sleep. You want my hat to cover your face?”

Marco sighs.

Such a sincere gesture. _Why did he ever think that the boy would try to hurt him?_

He opens his eyes and looks at the smiling boy with affection, then reaching for the later’s head for a light peck.

“Thank you, Ace.”

Marco just had to fell asleep right after, (no, it’s not called transferred narcolepsy), while Ace froze in his place, face totally looks like a well roasted lobster. That is, before flame engulves the said area and makes him looks like human torch.

Ah, well.

(Gurararara… my sons finally grew up!)

(Pops, Marco is almost fifty!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s it. The end. A multichap that I wrote in one-go! (Yuhuuuuu)  
> .  
> For anyone there who wonders where is Marco’s speech tick, please be considerate to me when I say I intentionally left it? It feels weird writing ‘yoi’ in every lines he said? Kinda makes it less serious, tho Marco with his badassery could pull a ‘yoi’ in the end of his lines, every single damn time, serious time included.  
> .  
> So, I am thinking that maybe you can imagine that he said it in the end of his line instead of reading it #deepbow. Once again, I am so sorry.  
> .  
> Also... thank you for staying (reading? I kinda post all chaps in the same day?). I hope you had fun!


End file.
